For years caskets have been employed to present the remains of a deceased for viewing and payment of final respects to the deceased by acquaintances and loved ones, and for burial purposes. Modern body preservation techniques such as embalming and the like are employed to prevent decomposition of the body during the time after death and prior to burial when the body is presented for viewing and memorial services are conducted. In some countries, however, religious practices prevent such body preservation techniques from being utilized. Therefore it is desirable to provide some sort of transparent shield, sometimes termed a so-called "spirit shield", which seals to the casket shell to contain odors yet which allows for viewing of the deceased. And even in instances where modern body preservation techniques are employed, it may be desirable to employ such a shield to prevent the spread of contagion from the body to mourners.
The current practice when fitting a wooden casket with such a shield is to employ a wooden rail which is secured within the periphery of the interior of the casket shell by attachment to the casket shell side walls and end walls. The rail provides a flange or lip or seat for supporting thereatop the shield around its peripheral edge. In order to provide an effective seal between the shield and the casket shell walls, double-sided tape may be applied between the upper surface of the rail and the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the shield. Caulk may be applied between the peripheral edge of the shield and the casket walls. Screws may be employed to further secure the shield to the rail.
While such a construction is effective in sealing odors and the like within the casket, it is not without criticism. Once the shield is installed it is not readily removable, if it is removable at all. In many instances in which the body has been embalmed to preserve it but especially where the body has not been embalmed as in countries in which religious practices prevent embalming and the like it is often desirable or necessary to "touch up" the body for aesthetic purposes prior to burial. However, once the shield is installed semi-permanently or permanently as described above, such touching up is either not practical or is simply not possible. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a shield for a burial casket which provides an effective seal between the shield and the casket shell walls yet which is readily and easily installed and removed so that the body can be readily and quickly attended to as needed.
It is therefore a main objective of the present invention to provide a shield for a burial casket which provides an effective seal between the shield and the casket shell walls yet which is easily and quickly installed and removed.